Stripe rust resistance in Triticum durum – T. monococcum and T. durum – T. urartu amphiploids

Stripe rust is recognized as a significant constraint to wheat production worldwide. Sustainable control against this destructive disease is achieved preferably by deploying stripe rust resistance genes (Yr) in wheat cultivars. To identify new sources of effective Yr genes against stripe rust, the response of 194 wheat amphiploids (AABBAmAm and AABBAuAu) to stripe rust at seedling and adult plant stage was evaluated. Among the amphiploids tested at seedling stage, 26 (13.40 %) were classified as resistant (IT 0–3), 9 (4.63 %) intermediate (IT 4–6) and 159 (81.95 %) as susceptible (IT 7–9). Out of 26 seedling-resistant amphiploids 17 (8.76 %) showed resistance at the adult-plant stage. Comparative analysis of amphiploids and their durum parents identified the putative source of Yr resistance. The role of durum cultivar in resistance suppression was observed in many cases. These novel amphiploid (2n = 6x = 42) stocks are derivatives of 20 durum cultivars and accessions of the Am and Au genome effectively assembled AB genome diversity that is user friendly for maximizing their exploitation for applied agricultural targets. This initial screening facilitates the characterization of these amphiploids for stripe rust resistance breeding goals.